Victims of our own success

“It’s a great dilemma to have.”

An interesting expression, don’t you think? The overall sentiment is favorable, but the fact there’s a “dilemma” also means there’s some pain. RIT has its share of these dilemmas, due in large part to its growth. This growth, whether describing the physical campus or the university’s reputation, often leads to some strain on resources or access to those resources.

The latest example comes with . Attracting to RIT to serve as keynote speaker is quite an honor. I dare say some of our neighboring colleges and universities are a bit jealous. As a recent editorial in the Democrat and Chronicle pointed out, RIT students and their families “should feel proud” of this accomplishment.

But it did present a problem. How would the university accommodate all those people interested in seeing the former president live and in person? It quickly became apparent that the , RIT’s primary venue for Commencement activities, just isn’t big enough.

Today, the university formally announced that Academic Convocation, the ceremony at which President Clinton will speak, is being moved outdoors. All anyone has to do is look to the to understand the risk. But after lengthy consideration, RIT’s leadership deemed it worth the risk so that graduates can share this celebration with as many loved ones as possible.

There’s been a lot of unnecessary confusion associated with access to the Academic Convocation and the individual college ceremonies, but I won’t rehash that here. However, I do wish to commend RIT President Albert Simone and the coordinators of commencement activities for putting the interests of our graduates above all else. There is no perfect solution, but this decision should limit the pain associated with this dilemma.

Now, let’s hope Mother Nature cuts us a break.